Anyone hunt with round nose 30-06?

[Kachok]

So a friend of mine came into a ton of old Hornady bullets a while back, judging by the boxes they are probably older then I am. Anyway he wanted me to work him up a brush hunting load for his 742 30-06, right off the 180gr RN Hornady grouped rather well with Hunter powder so off to the woods to test on an unlucky pig. Well I could not get one up close but I did get a shot on one right around 100yds, THUD! The crack of the rifle was drowned out by the hardest thud I have ever heard a bullet make, quite audible even at that range over the blast of a short barrel 30-06. Needless to day the pig fell dead on the spot, did not even kick, just pole axed dead. I must say one of the most impressive tests I have had to date and I won't be loading anything else for the brush gun. Entry hole was about .5" and exit was about 1.5", with moderate bruising of surrounding meat on a smallish boar. No heavy bone or CNS hit just a solid lung shot.
This is the first time I have ever tried RN bullets at high speed (about 2750fps), has anyone else used them, are my results typical or was this bullet design unique in some way. The new ones look the same, has Hornady changed them since way back when?
BTW for those having trouble getting a 742 to cycle reliably we have put about 70 rounds through it since developing the new load and not a single jam, REALLY stoked about that since it jams like crazy with everything else.

 

[45crittergitter]

I used to hunt with RN 180 gr. R-P Core-Lokts, and although they were completely effective, I didn't see any terminal difference between them and several PSPs, including the 180 R-P Core-Lokt PSP. But you will see a ballistic advantage to the pointed bullets at a distance. So I only recommend them for use in locations where you can't get a long shot.

 

[rcmodel]

Thats what they do.
The RN & FP have been slapping game down since soft point jacketed bullets were invented.

I think the only difference is the new Core-Loked are more core locked then those old ones you have.

Just don't think of the RN as a 'brush bullet'.
They will deform & deflect on brush just as bad as any other bullet.

rc

 

[Kachok]

RC I only meant close range when I say brush gun, as in a rifle you would use when hunting limited line of sight, I NEVER shoot an animal through thick vegetation regardless of bullet caliber/type, if I don't have a clean line of sight I'll wait for the next one. I know very well how badly all bullets deflect. But thanks for the warning anyway

 

[jmr40]

I picked up a box of 150 gr RN .30 cal bullets several years ago by mistake. They were on the shelf right next to the pointed bullets. Decided to go ahead and load some up at moderate speeds for my 308. Around 2600 fps. I'm sure they would work just fine on deer, hogs or probably even black bear if I put one in the right spot. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to get them to group much better than 2 MOA. Good enough for their intended purpose, I had just hoped for a little better.

 

[witchhunter]

You will be surprised at the little bit of ballistics improvement with a spitzer and then only at 300 yards or better. It won't matter a bit under that.

 

[Kachok]

Oh this is an 18" carbine with a red dot on it, the dot on the sight is the size of our steel gong at 300, for anything past 150 I am grabbing the 270 short mag or my bolt 30-06 with VXII and TTSXs moving at 3050fps. No semi auto with a red dot is going to be able to compete with that at range. I like a semi for hog hunting in the creek bottoms because we tend to run into them 3 or 4 at a time and the more we can put down the better, I am pretty quick at racking a bolt but not as quick as that 742.

 

[Eb1]

Not in .30-06, but in .303 (.311 and .312) British I use 180 grain Round Nose. I also use 170 and 150 grain in .30-30 (.308). They work great for hunting.

 

[der Teufel]

Not in .30-06, but in .303 (.311 and .312) British I use 180 grain Round Nose. I also use 170 and 150 grain in .30-30 (.308). They work great for hunting.

Same here. When I first started hog hunting I was using a .303 British and I'd load up 174 grain round nose bullets. My longest shots are typically less than 150 yards, and they worked just fine. A few years ago I got a few 220 grain round nose .30 cal bullets at a garage sale and loaded them up for my buddy's .30-06, and the first hog he shot with them was a 230 Lb sow at a range of ~65 yards. The bullet went through both shoulders and he ate sausage for months!

 

[stiab]

I switched to the RN 180 for deer hunting with the .30-06. What I have found by actual examination is that they deflect less AFTER they hit the deer, i.e. they continue on the same path while inside. I had have some pointed bullets take an alternate path under the hide.

 

[Don McDowell]

Never used those in the 06, but they are absolute death on elk when loaded in the 30-40 krag and the 308.

 

[X-Rap]

The 165 Rem RN in 280 is a solid performer at woods hunting distances. I prefer the SP bullets but wouldn't turn my nose up at those RN.

 

[toiville2feathers]

My dad had a 740 rifle, no jamming problems with round nosed bullets, EVER. There were occasions when he needed shells and all he could get was spitzers style. They would jam ,so he took a side cutters and cut the point off rounded it out with a file and had no jamming problems.
The pointed bullets don't feed correctly, and the port is to small to eject a loaded spitzer round, they hang up. :bang head:
Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[rule303]

In my completely unscientifically proven opinion, RN bullets kill deer faster than spitzers. They are less likely to fragment on bone or tough muscle, expand well and plow right through.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

When I take my 30-06 out it is with the Remington 180 grain round nose core loks. I kind of believe in metplat.

 

[Kachok]

While I have never been disappointed by a high speed 30 caliber on deer I feel like RN interlock was the most impressive performer overall. Not the most damaging, that title belongs to the 165gr Sierra Game Kings, but they were TOO dramatic, 9.5" exit wound, excessive to say the least, the whole front half of the deer was wasted.

 

[critter]

First deer I ever killed was a smallish (maybe 125#) 8-point with a small, but really even rack.

Shot him from about 30 yards with a model 17 Eddystone Enfield and a Remington 220 gr round nose soft point. Killed him dead, it did. I did get full penetration (double lung) and doubtful if I got much expansion.

I have since changed my way of doing things!

 

[T.R.]

Typically the round nose bullet expands upon impact like a faster 150 grain but has the momentum to break bones like an 180. For the hunter who rarely shoots beyond 225 yards, this is a very good bullet choice.

TR

 

[W.E.G.]

he wanted me to work him up a brush hunting load

All bullets deflect a LOT when they hit brush.

The "brush-bucking" bullet is a myth.

The only way you are going to hit your target after shooting though a stick is if the target is just inches behind the stick.

 

[Kachok]

All bullets deflect a LOT when they hit brush.

The "brush-bucking" bullet is a myth.

The only way you are going to hit your target after shooting though a stick is if the target is just inches behind the stick.

I already covered that see post #4.
When I say brush gun I am talking about close range where visibility is limited NOT shooting through brush, I never do that.